Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Review

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

"That's how it starts. The fever, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness that turns good men...cruel." -Alfred

      Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is directed by Zack Snyder (300, Man of Steel, Watchmen) and stars Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, and Holly Hunter as Senator Finch.

The biggest face off in all of comic book history: The Dark Knight against The Man of Steel

      Following the events of Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice reveals that Bruce Wayne (aka Batman) was at ground zero of the destruction of Metropolis when Superman and General Zod had their battle. Forced to watch as people he knew and cared about died, Bruce Wayne took the chaos to heart and waged war against Superman all while the world is divided as to whether Superman is a hero they need or a threat to the human race. As Superman and Batman fight each other, billionaire and businessman Lex Luthor creates the monstrosity known as Doomsday to destroy Superman, thinking that he is the major threat. Superman and Batman have to work together, with Wonder Woman in the mix, to stop Doomsday from annihilating Earth as we know it.

Batman: "Don't worry guys! I got this. I have a gun."

      I was just excited as any other fanboy when the news that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was going to happen. Even after the full movie/extended trailer (that's what I'm going to call it), I was still hopeful that it would be a spectacle of the ages. I was partially correct. There were some awesome things about it, but there were also some crappy things. It was basically a shrug and a disappointed "eh" from me. Zack Snyder pretty much falls into the same problem he always has in his movies: visuals over storytelling. This isn't to say that BvS had bad storytelling. It was just sloppily put together in editing. The first half of the movie had more of a political/psychological thriller element and then one event happened where it just completely changed tone and an explosion of special effects and fighting succeeded. There were also some editing issues in the two-in-one film where I felt that some scenes could have been taken out or some scenes that felt forced to make the film continue with emotional energy (it didn't work though).

They could have just used Superman's laser vision to cut some scenes out.

      If you lurked around the internet even a smidgen, you would know that there was a huge controversy about Ben Affleck playing the iconic Batman. Simply put, Ben Affleck's Batman was probably the best thing about BvS. Since there was controversy, you may be thinking, "If Ben Affleck playing Batman is the best thing, then this movie probably sucks!" Actually, the movie is visually and aesthetically pleasing as hell with Batman kicking major ass in it. This Batman is very different from every other Batman we have seen on the big screen. He is clearly damaged and traumatized from the Man of Steel aftermath that he has nightmares of Superman having the world in his grasp. Batman even kills. You can see him blatantly kill the villains, which is a good and bad thing. It's good because we can see his pain and his passion for what he thinks is the right thing; for justice. However, it's a bad thing because Batman does have a moral code that we just don't see being broken in the movie, therefore it's assumed that he just doesn't have one even though his background and lore calls for a moral code to not kill. Still, whenever you see Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne with and without the mask, he steals the scene. This especially rings true for the fight scenes. He beats the hell out of the villains with (well choreographed) martial arts. Jeremy Irons' portrayal of Alfred also goes well with Ben Affleck's Batman. Alfred has always been there for Bruce Wayne and the actors' great banter and chemistry showed this in spades. That was a good call in the casting department.

Damn! Batman can actually put up a good fight against a god!

      Overall, the performances in BvS were fine. None was a stand out besides Ben Affleck's. Unfortunately, there was a stand out that was pretty weak: Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Eisenberg brought his always anxious and awkward persona to the character just with a maniacal twist to it. It was annoying, if I'm being perfectly honest. Like the controversy surrounding Affleck's Batman, Eisenberg's Lex Luthor also started an online riot. I thought he was a bad choice, and it turns out I was right. I have to also point out that Amy Adams' Lois Lane was a throw away. It felt as though the writers had to shoehorn her into the film to make Superman a little more grounded. The scenes where she offers some sort of emotional connection to Clark Kent/Superman fell short. I love Amy Adams in plenty of films she's starred in, but in BvS, her performance was stale and didn't feel very real.

Alright! We get it, Lex. The red capes are coming. Just stop talking for like 20 minutes and I'll try not to take out my frustration on you.

      To the benefit of BvS, the fight scenes were really cool. The whole time I was watching the movie, I was thinking what the fight scene between Batman and Superman would be like. It did not disappoint. There were massive punches that could most likely pulverize your head and kicks that could seriously erase a blue whale from existance (the largest animal in the world). This goes back to my point about Batman. The fight scenes with him are marvelous to watch. Since the movie actually shows him, to what looks like, murdering other people, the action is heavier. Wonder Woman, although not featured very much, is badass in her own right too. Don't worry, she's got all her weapons. Even the ones they don't show in the trailers. All of this plus the pairing with Zack Snyder's visionary genius makes for a work of visual beauty.

If you had to choose one, which one would you choose?

 1) A curb stomp from Batman's spiky boot the next time you sleep

or

2) Being rushed by Superman at his normal speed (which is way too fast anyways)

or

3) Being stabbed or sliced by Wonder Woman with the amount of strength she chooses (which is way too strong anyways) 

 

      My final thought coming out of this movie was that this could've been so much better. It isn't at all as terrible as 1997's Batman and Robin or 2015's Fantastic Four, both of which were so bad that I had to rethink liking those superheroes. It was alright. There are definitely some good things to take from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: the visuals, action, and some of the character portrayals. However, Director Zack Synder's consistent mistake of putting looks as the priority rather than the storytelling is shown once again here. I would suggest that you make your own judgement on BvS because there will be many people who don't like it and many people who like it. I wanted and want to like it so bad, but I just didn't like as much as I wanted to.

3.0/5

PRO

• Ben Affleck's Batman
• Cool and exciting fighting scenes
• Overall aesthetically pleasing look

CON

• Messy editing and storytelling
• Some actors'/actresses' direction with their characters
• Forced scenes for more dramatic and emotional flare

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action throughout, and some sensuality

Click here to watch the trailer

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is in theaters everywhere now

      Thanks for reading my review, everybody! I really appreciate it. Please subscribe to my blog and follow me on Facebook here and Twitter here to get updates on new reviews and trailer drops. Also, if you've seen Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, comment and let me know what you thought of it. Thanks again!